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Ready to pump wean, but son won't drink cow milk

My son turned a year this month and I am ready to stop pumping(!) but I still plan to nurse him when not at work. My problem is he doesn't want to drink cow or goat milk at all.

I've tried mixing it in his cereal to get him used to the taste. And he will eat the cereal, but just not drink the milk. How can I get him to start drinking other milks besides mine? He takes a bottle of my breastmilk now and I've tried offering him drinks from a cup but he knows the smell of the cow or goat and turns his head away.

Should I wait to stop pumping until he is used to the other milks?
Thanks for your help!

Re: Ready to pump wean, but son won't drink cow milk

Welcome to the forum!

Your baby actually doesn't need to drink animal milk. First, as long as you are nursing at least 3-5 times per day (5 being better than 3, particularly with babies who are closer to 1 year than 2), you're probably meeting all his "dairy" needs yourself. Second, your baby doesn't need to drink milk in order to get his dairy. He can eat yogurt or cheese instead.

If your baby will eat his dairy, just give him bottles or sippy cups of water when you're at work. If he will neither eat nor drink dairy products, then you might be stuck pumping a bit longer while he develops a taste for them.

One way to get a kid accustomed to the taste of animal milk is to mix it with your milk. Start with just a tiny admixture, and gradually decrease the amount of your milk in the bottle/sippy. This isn't ideal because if your child doesn't finish the bottle or cup, there's a chance you'd be pouring some of your milk down the drain, which isn't cool considering how much work it is to obtain it! But you might want to take this approach if you really, really want your child to drink his dairy.

Re: Ready to pump wean, but son won't drink cow milk

My current LO wasn't interested in cow's milk at a year either. I wasn't worried about it since we were still nursing during non-work hours, and she LOVES cheese and yogurt. Her caregiver continued to offer and now she does drink it (she probably started around 16 or 17 months) although when I'm around she still prefers to nurse - she is now 2.